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Sara Sanders Gardner is an autistic neurodiversity professional with more than 25 years of experience advancing inclusion in higher education and the workplace. Their work bridges lived experience, research, and practical implementation to help organizations better support and engage neurodivergent people.

Sara created and directs the internationally recognized Neurodiversity Navigators program at Bellevue College, a college-based neurodiversity program that supports neurodivergent students through strengths-based education, Collaborative Problem Solving(TM), and self-advocacy and identity development.

Since 2015, Sara has designed and delivered Neurodiversity Cultural Responsiveness training for Microsoft’s Neurodiversity Hiring Program and has developed neurodiversity e-learning used across seven countries for Amazon Web Services. They have also created professional training programs including the Autism Management Institute and Neurodiversity Academy for the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) and regularly consult with universities, corporations, and organizations seeking to improve neurodiversity inclusion.

Sara served as technical editor for the Wiley publications' Neurodiversity for Dummies and Autism for Dummies.

As both an autistic professional and long-time disability practitioner, Sara brings a unique perspective shaped by decades of work alongside neurodivergent individuals, their families, educators, and employers. Their work focuses on helping organizations understand neurodivergent communication, reduce systemic barriers, and recognize the strengths neurodivergent people bring to schools, workplaces, and communities.

Sara also taught college courses for over a decade; designing curriculum specifically for neurodivergent students, helping them identify strengths, develop self-advocacy skills, and connect their interests to meaningful careers.

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• Neurodiversity cultural responsiveness training for teams
• Workplace neurodiversity consulting
• Higher education faculty and staff training
• Autism and neurodiversity inclusion strategies  

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Q1) Why do you use the word "autistic"? Isn't "person with autism" better?

A2) As an autistic person myself, I use identity first language almost exclusively. Others may decide that person-first language is more comfortable for them, however, the disabled person should be the one to ultimately decide how they wish to be defined. 

Q2) Does the neurodivergent co-worker attend the workshop? (for corporations)

A2) It depends. If it's a new hire, sometimes the workshop is held prior to their starting date. However, many neurodivergent employees have attended these workshops with overwhelmingly positive responses to the material. If they do attend, they can add to the conversation. It should be up to them, of course. Similarly, in a classroom setting, neurodivergent students can attend and add to the conversation. 

Q3) What qualifies you to do this training? 

A3) In addition to developing and launching Microsoft's team training for their Autism (now Neurodiversity) at Work initiatve during which I trained over 4000 employees, and providing e-Learning to over 5000 Amazon Web Services employees worldwide, I've worked in higher education for 15 years. There, I designed, developed, and still direct one of the first, largest and very few Neurodiversity support programs designed by an Autistic person. Not only have I directed the program, I was faculty in the program for 10 years, and also served at the College as a Disability Access Specialist for 7 years. Prior to that, I had 10 years of hands-on experience with families and youth in IEP meetings and teaching parenting classes. I also have an adult autistic child, and was raised in an autistic family. The depth and breadth of my experience is hard to match. I'd love to connect on LinkedIn.

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